Fruit damage can occur during handling, packing, transporting, or storing fruit and is primarily caused by either mechanical impact or compression forces. Merely holding fruit can cause bruising and fruit pickers are trained to touch fruit only by the fruit stem. Damage to loose stone fruit, such as peaches or avocados, can be caused by the stone, pit, or seed(s) moving inside the fruit during handling, packing, or transportation resulting in internal damage which may not be visible until the fruit is cut or eaten.
Damage to fruit can be immediately apparent at the time when it is cut, crushed, or punctured. However, other types of damage may not be apparent for a period of time, such as, fruit pitting associated with damage to cells near the epidermis that collapse over a period of time or fruit bruising associated with injury to cells much below the epidermis.
Upon being damaged fruit respiration and ethylene production increases making the fruit more susceptible to decay. Bruising can also result in localized softening of the fruit, the presence of secondary microbial infection, and increased acidity compared to undamaged fruit. Discoloration of fruit results when an enzyme called polyphenoloxidase oxidizes the phenolic compounds that are found in the tissue of fruits. The oxidation causes the phenolic compounds to condense into brown spots. While the tissue, or cell structure, remains intact, the enzyme and phenolic compounds are separated and so do not react with one another. Damage of the cell structure caused by impact or compression of the fruit initiates the oxidation reaction and so triggers the onset of browning.
Because fruit are delicate and susceptible to damage numerous types of containers, carriers, holders, or hangers have been devised to reduce damage to fruit.
Containers, crates, or boxes are commonly used to transport or store fruit. Such containers, crates, or boxes are typically formed of injection molded plastic(s) or paperboard(s). When assembled, such containers are typically rectangular in shape, having a flat base surrounded by four upstanding flat side panels as disclosed for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,286,701; 5,431,335; 6,394,296; 6,015,056; or 6,398,054. More familiar to the individual consumer is the sandwich, lunch, or storage container having a releasably sealable cover as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,452.
A significant problem with these types of containers can be that fruit placed inside can move, shift, or vibrate in response to movement of the container. Even fruits having a thick skin or a peel, such as a banana, can be damaged by movement or vibration within a container causing the fruit to abrade, become soft, or discolor.
A conventional solution to protect fruit transported in such containers, crates, or boxes, may be a flexible liner inserted into the container prior to placing the fruit within as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,711 or 6,247,328. However, a problem with flexible liners made from thin plastic sheet material as disclosed may be that it does not absorb incident impact or compression forces. Unabsorbed impact or compression forces can be transmitted through the liner to that portion of the exterior surface of the fruit in contact with the flexible liner. Another problem with flexible liner material may be that it does not provide sufficient frictional engagement with the exterior surface of the fruit to prevent movement of the fruit relative to the liner allowing fruit damage by impact, compression, vibration, or abrasion forces.
Alternately, the bottom or side panels of the containers, crates, or boxes may be made flexible to conform to the fruit pressing against them as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,388. However, flexure of a container panel as disclosed may not provide sufficient absorption of incident forces to protect fruit in contact with the flexible panel. The lack of a compressible surface may in large part allow transmission of impact or compression forces through the panel to the fruit. Moreover, flexible panels may not generate sufficient frictional engagement with the fruit to prevent damage from fruit movement relative to the flexible panel as above described.
Containers, crates, or boxes that provide rigid recesses or cups for individual fruit, as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,345 or Des. 328,705 are configured such that an individual recess or cup or each of a plurality of recesses or cups is formed with a substantially identical shape or volume. Because individual pieces of fruit vary in size and shape, rigid containers may not have surfaces that conform to the exterior surface of individual pieces of fruit. Additionally, there may not be sufficient frictional engagement with the exterior surface of the fruit to prevent movement within the individual recess or cup. Moreover, the walls of rigid recesses or cups may not afford the degree of compressibility necessary to absorb forces of impact generated by movement of the fruit within the recess or cup, as such fruit damage may not be minimized.
Because containers, crates, or boxes typically do not operate to protect fruit in isolation but rather act in concert with the larger conveyance in which they are transported, such as a truck or a ship, it is understandable that such containers, crates, or boxes do not provide additional impact and compression force absorption elements that may already provided by the functional structure of the truck, ship, or other conveyance, as such they can be lacking.
Similarly, conventional films that wrap, cling, stretch, or shrink to conform to a portion of the exterior surface of fruits or vegetables, such as the film technology disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,144, provide a thin and substantially non-compressible material that present surfaces that may not afford a sufficient degree of resiliency or compression to absorb incident impact or compression forces to prevent or minimize fruit damage.
Conventional fruit and berry pickers' containers such as those disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,201,446 and 4,184,528, are configured to allow collection of numerous fruit in a single enclosed volume. As such, these types of containers are not configured to conform to the exterior surface of individual pieces of fruit or provide a sufficient amount of frictional engagement with the fruit to prevent or minimize movement of the fruit within the container which can result in pitting or bruising of the fruit.
Relating to fruit protection technology in general, and specifically with regard to a force absorption system for fruit that provides sufficient force absorption characteristics, conformability characteristics, frictional engagement characteristics, to protect individual pieces of fruit, bunches of fruit, or loose fruit, such as berries, cherries, or grapes when handled, transported, or stored, it can be understood there are an array of fruit protection problems that remain unresolved. The numerous embodiments of the invention address each these above-mentioned problems.